Global Approaches to Light Pollution Legislation

Martin Morgan-Taylor

School of Law, de Montfort University, Leicester, UK

& International Dark-sky Association

mart@dmu.ac.uk

AIMS OF THE PAPER

• A critical analysis of regulatory

examples –

– France

– Korea

• What makes good regulation?

VITAL- A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF

LIGHT POLLUTION

• Balance of the interests

• Lighting in the right place

• At the right time

• At the right level

• Of the right spectrum

REGULATION MUST BALANCE

• Safety and security*

• Advertising*

• Leisure*

• Architecture

• Nuisance

• Human rights

• Nightscape/ecology/energy

HOW?

• Hard law (binding)

• Soft law (guidance)

• Bolt on - weaker

• Dedicated laws-

– Objective metrics

– Curfews

• Building regulations & eco buildings

– Sleeping people/ecology

• Upgrading street lighting

– Sleeping people/ecology

• Advertising regulations

• Balance advertising benefits/sleeping/ecology

NEW CHALLENGE- DAYLIGHT LIGHTING

Gas Tungsten- Blue rich

A BALANCE OF INTERESTS?

NIGHTSCAPE

EXAMPLE LAW: FRANCE

• Dedicated LP law with guidance

• Environmental law- energy/carbon

emissions/ecology & the night sky

• Not metrics based limits- uses curfews

• Avoids quantifying light

FRANCE

• Covers most non-domestic lighting

• Curfews, indoor lighting-

– Off an hour after the last employee leaves

Night security guards?

• Curfew exterior lighting-

• Off 1-7am Includes illuminated shop

windows

FRANCE

Excludes consumer

lighting

A common cause of

problems

FRANCE

• Excludes

• Commercial lighting on sensors

– Good- lighting is not always on

– Compromise/ acceptance by business &

consumer over safety and security

FRANCE

• Exclusions

• Christmas &

permanent cultural

lights (Art. 4)

• Good- balance of

culture, tourism,

business, against the

effects of LP?

• Bad- open to abuse?

FRANCE

• Bad-

• No installation

control

• Sensors not enough

• LED? Not enough

KOREA: LIGHT POLLUTION PREVENTION

ACT 2012

Objective metrics based on CIE 150

Advantages-

Transparency for business/consumers

Objective- easier for regulators to enforce

But- Getting the levels right?

KOREA• Objective standards-

• Window illuminance

• Advertising and decorative

lighting

KOREA

• Zoning- varying maximum levels

– Light travels (c.f. noise)

– Mixed use areas?

Vertical Illuminance on windows

E1 E2 E3 E4

10 lm/m2 10 lm/m2 10 lm/m2 25 lm/m2

Maximum luminance from decorative lighting

E1 E2 E3 E4

20 (average of 5)

cd/m2

60 (average of 5)

cd/m2

180 (average of

15) cd/m2

300 (average of

25) cd/m2

Maximum luminance from advertising lighting

E1 E2 E3 E4

50 cd/m2 400 cd/m2 800 cd/m2 1,000 cd/m2

KOREA

• Curfews not used

• Energy waste from all night lighting?

• Blue rich light and bedroom windows?

SUMMARY

• Dedicated laws work best (France

and Korea)

• Need a full understanding of the LP

problem- education

SUMMARY

• Best law probably a combination of

French and the Korean approach

• Hard law & guidance

• Objective metrics

• Curfews

SUMMARY

• Guidance support/ eco buildings etc-

– fill in gaps, especially installation

guidance/spectral type & health

– Not just energy efficiency

– Can impose lighting limits

MART@DMU.AC.UK